Supermarket pervert walks free

A PERVERT who secretly filmed up the skirts of women shoppers has escaped a jail sentence.

Married father-of-one Marek Nowakowski used his mobile phone placed in a shopping basket to film women customers in Wakefield supermarkets.

The 43-year-old followed his victims around a store before placing his basket on the floor close to them, with his phone recording.

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He admitted he had taken around 100 of the covert videos but escaped custody yesterday after being handed a suspended sentence at Leeds Crown Court.

Nowakowski's behaviour was first noticed on March 1 last year after a woman told an Asda security officer she thought Nowakowski had been following her around.

Mark McKone, prosecuting, told a previous court hearing that Nowakowski, a Polish national, was seen to return to the Asda store in Durkar, Wakefield, a few hours later and again seemed to be following a woman around the store.

On March 3, he was spotted once more following female customers and getting very close to them. He put a wire basket on the floor next to them, picking it up when they moved away.

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Two days later Nowakowski, of Manor Rise, Wakefield, returned again and after selecting a basket walked up and down the aisles without shopping and appeared to follow a woman into the clothing section where he put a basket on the floor .

Mr McKone said that when she moved away a security officer saw Nowakowski take his mobile phone from the basket.

He then went and stood next to another woman and put the phone with its camera lens facing up into the corner of the basket. It was then the officer realised what he was doing.

When challenged, he said: "Yes, I have been stupid".

He admitted he would put his mobile phone in the basket and would wander around recording films of women under their skirts or dresses.

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Nowakowski estimated he had about 100 images of women aged between 25-45 on his phone and accepted he had got sexual gratification from looking at them.

He told the officer he supposed he would have deleted the pictures one day because otherwise his wife or daughter might have found them.

Sentencing Nowakowski, Judge Sally Cahill QC said:"Your behaviour was unacceptable and must not be repeated. These are serious offences and you need to be aware that should you breach the order I am going to make or should you commit further offences then you are facing a custodial sentence."

Nowakowski, who pleaded guilty to both charges of outraging public decency, was handed four months in custody for each count, suspended for 18 months. He also received a supervision order of 18 months and 120 hours of unpaid work.

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Because he speaks very little English, he will be supervised on a one-to-one basis rather than attend group sessions to address his sexual offending.

His probation officer's work will itself be overseen by the programme manager for the sex offender treatment programme.

Judge Cahill decided against banning Nowakowski from supermarkets in the Wakefield area. She said it would be inappropriate to make an order which was "unenforcable".

But she warned Nowakowski would face an automatic jail term if he committed other offences.

The defendant followed the proceedings in court through an interpreter.

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